Walk Description

As it it had been my birthday earlier in the week, we had arranged to meet up with Les and Kev on the Friday for a long weekend at Caldbeck as a birthday treat.  This is the first of three walks in the Back 'o' Skidda area.   We all met up at Rheged and had a wander through the centre before driving to the parking area near the Carrock Beck ford.  After sorting ourselves out and donning boots and rucksacks we explored the nearby ford before heading westwards along the bridleway above Carrock Beck.  After about about a mile we crossed the beck and began what seemed to me to be the steep ascent towards the col just west of Miton Hill.

I was glad to reach the fairly level ridge and even though the path was a little boggy in places, I enjoyed the easy walking over Miton Hill.  Les and I then left the path for a while to visit some of the small pools just south of the main path.  The ground was covered with a very thick layer of damp moss and it was almost like trying to walk across a foam matteress.  Steve and Kev were striding out and soon they were just small dots in the distance.  Eventually Les and I reached the rocky climb up tho the summit of Carrock Fell.  Steve and Kev were wandering around the summit looking very puzzled.  They could hear a stange buzzing noise that seemed to be coming from the rocks.  I eventually found the source of their puzzlement.  A number of large bees were resting on the rocks and the vibrations from their wings were causing the buzzing noises.  When the bees were disturbed and flew off the buzzing stopped.

We stayed a while at the summit cairn and took in the extensive views.  Carrock Fell has excellent views eastwards across the Eden Valley towards the North Pennines and northwards towards Scotland.  It also provides an unusual view of Blencathra and Skiddaw.  We also spent a while determining the fells that we could see on the skyline beyond the Glenderaterra Beck.  After a quick bite to eat we reluctantly left the summit and found our own path down the steepish northern side until we joined the windy path northwards towards Carrock Beck and our cars.
This walk had been an excellent introduction to the Back 'o' Skidda and also helped us to work up an appetite for our evening meal at the Oddfellow Arms in Caldbeck.  All told this walk took us approximately 3 hours.















 

Route & Planning

Details and Route Map

Photo Opportunities

Walk Profile

The route map shown here should not be used as a replacement for the appropriate map(s). Before attempting the walk you should check the suitability of this route in relation to your capabilities and experience.